Graduated from Stash List #3: I’m Mr. Messick! Look At Me!: Jordan Lawlar, Zebby Matthews
Note: Anyone promoted during the current season is ineligible for the stash list, so Coby Mayo is, as usual, off to the side watching other guys get their flowers.
1. Red Sox OF Roman Anthony (21, AAA)
Turned 21 on May 13th, so Happy Belated Birthday, Roman! I wonder how he celebrated. The city of Boston would’ve been happy to throw him a big party, but that can wait, apparently. Tough to argue with their outcomes across the outfield this season. Cedanne Rafaela (87) has a higher wRC+ than Jarren Duran (84) this season, in case anyone cares. Gonna hit this drum just one more time and then let it rest: Rafaela has provided 1.1 Wins Above Replacement according to Fangraphs, while Duran has posted a 0.3 WAR. What is good for? Absolutely nothing. Just sayin. Does anyone remember Jack Cust? How did Grey used to spell Cust kayin’? Just like that, I guess, as confirmed by a quick giggle search.
2. Pirates RHP Bubba Chandler (22, AAA)
He finally gave up some runs, so . . . good job, Pittsburgh. Can you imagine the atrocities that might unfold if he’d had that outing in the majors? Might’ve gotten someone fired, for yarrr sakes. Best to hold him back another few months.
3. Brewers RHP Jacob Misiorowski (23, AAA)
Not a ton left to say here. Went seven innings and allowed one run his last time out. One walk each of his last two starts. 1.46 ERA in 49.1 innings pitched this season. Man that looks like a lot of innings to me, given the context. They’re definitely waiting for the perfect moment.
4. Red Sox SS Marcelo Mayer (22, AAA)
Trevor Story has six home runs but not much else this season: a 31 percent strikeout rate, a four percent walk rate and a 73 wRC+ along with below average defense (8th percentile outs above average). Marcelo Mayer isn’t dominating Triple-A pitchers, but he’s been consistent, and a 117 wRC+ is plenty good enough for the team to start considering the possibilities. Trouble is they’re stuck with the Neverending Story through 2027. Can he play first base? Or do we have to start talking about the sunk cost fallacy?
5. Reds RHP Chase Burns (22, AA)
No resistance detected through 19 innings across four Double-A starts (28 strikeouts, 2 walks, 1.89 ERA). The club needed to see just three such starts at High-A before sending him along to the next challenge, so I’m predicting a quick promotion to Triple-A where he’s just a phone call away on a team that’s just 4.5 games out of the top spot in the NL Central despite being 3-and-7 over its last ten. Could make a case he belongs atop this list, but that requires kind of a bet against the top four getting their chance due to the variety of factors complicating their paths.
6. Orioles C Samuel Basallo (20, AAA)
Wow. Really? An Oriole on the list after all the . . . gestures toward Baltimore . . . whatever’s been going on over there? Well, yeah. I still think they’re a great front office, and I still think Basallo is a transcendent hitting prospect. I feel like the organization has demonstrated they treat those types differently than they do your above-average, climbing-the-ladder types. This team could use a boost after firing manager Brandon Hyde, and Basallo has been heating up, slugging four home runs in his last eight games to bring his season-long wRC+ to 139 in 23 games.
7. Royals 1B Jac Caglianone (22, AA)
Look, I know everybody involved is just doing their best, but these situations get a little strange to me as I’m trying to figure out what an organization is thinking while they’re just ignoring a guy dominating his level. I’m sure they are communicating with him, to be clear, giving him an endpoint or a focus point or something, but he’s slashing .324/.400/.563 with nine home runs and a 20.6 percent strikeout rate, so at this point I start to wonder if they’re planning to jump him right over Triple-A because he doesn’t seem to need more than the 36 games he’s played at Double-A. Not that I’m suggesting that, for what it’s Wuertz. Best to see if Triple-A arms can expose flaws in his game in ways that show up in the outcomes.
8. Phillies RHP Andrew Painter (22, AAA)
Went five innings during his last start for the first time in his rehab stint. Looked fine: allowed two runs, two walks and five hits. Not the full fire-breathing dragon we see before the injury, but it makes sense that he’d need time to build back to that.
9. Twins OF Carson McCusker (26, AAA)
Just to say: this list is for redraft purposes. McCrusher would lower on a dynasty list, but Thursday’s collision between Byron Buxton and Carlos Correa could land both on the seven-day concussion list and shuffle the deck in Minneapolis. They’re on a two-week winning streak as I prepare this piece, which feels like a pretty great spot to drop in a streaky slugger. At 6’8” 250 lbs, he’s not going to sneak up on any pitchers, but he’s been ready to merc mistakes all season and would look pretty damn dangerous in the batter’s box. Would be tough to send him back to the minors if he’s making contact.
10. Nationals OF Daylen Lile (21, AAA)
Dylan Crews has been playing a little centerfield over the past week, so maybe this opportunity fades as the club grows beyond the need for a Jacob Young in an everyday way. To tell a little more of the story, Young’s wRC+ (60) is actually better than the wunderkind’s wRC+ (58), but they’re probably two ships passing in the night, as Crews has been better after an empty start to the season. Lile is baseball-young at 21 after losing a year to Tommy John surgery, and he’s learning quickly, slashing .346/.414/.500 with six walks and six strikeouts through 13 Triple-A games. He’s also got a homer and two steals, bringing his full-season totals to three bombs and eight bags in 34 games across two levels.
Thanks for reading!
